Thierstein Castle was built in the early 14th century by Albrecht VI of Wildstein. Later it was moved to the hands of Nuremberg burgraves and the house of Hohenzollern. In 1553, during the Second Margrave War, Thierstein was occupied by Bohemian troops. In 1603 Margrave Georg Friedrich of Brandenburg ordered to abandon the castle and the construction of a new office building outside the village of Thierstein. Nevertheless, the most necessary repairs were still carried out at the Thierstein castle during the Thirty Years' War. The end of the Thierstein castle came in 1725, when it was destroyed by fire.
Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.
Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name 'Manarola' is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, 'magna rota'. In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to 'magna roea' which means 'large wheel', in reference to the mill wheel in the town.
Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.